Early ‘Captain Marvel’ Reviews Signal A Blast Of A Genuine Superhero’s Debut

A few weeks ago, critics who screened Captain Marvel were permitted to tweet brief reactions to the movie, and the consensus was that “Thanos is f*cked.” Well, Tuesday saw the release of full-on reviews, and that sentiment still appears to stand. The more fleshed-out medium, obviously, allows for more nuanced takes, and Rotten Tomatoes is currently reflecting an 89% “fresh” rating after 73 reviews. That’s not unanimously positive, but it’s solid. That’s a word that comes up in several reviews, including USA Today‘s Brian Truitt calling the movie “a solid foundation” to wherever the MCU and Carol Danvers soar next. The Atlantic’s David Sims describes the flick as “more of a solid building block for future endeavors than a must-see solo adventure.”

While critics don’t appear to be in love with the film’s entire execution, they’re overwhelmingly saying that directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck produced a blast of an experience. UPROXX’s Mike Ryan pointed toward the film being an origin story that avoids the pitfalls of the format and makes it clear that Carol Danvers “is going to be one of the anchors” of future MCU adventures. Ryan also praised lead actress Brie Larson and Ben Mendelsohn (who plays Skrull leader Talos) while pointing toward the movie’s delightful weirdness:

The advertising for this movie doesn’t quite let on (a) how weird Captain Marvel actually is and (b) that this movie is pretty much a full-on cosmic sci-fi film. I’m going to take a guess that it’s not going to be what most people are expecting. And, for the record, the surprise delighted me … Yes, Captain Marvel is an origin story, but it’s handled in such a unique way that it doesn’t always feel like an origin story. With rumors of movies based on The Eternals out there, Captain Marvel also feels like the first big step to an even more cosmic MCU.